Rally and March for Saskatchewan Hospital

 
The following is a transcript of a speech Liberal Leader Ryan Bater delivered at Shovels Here, New Beginnings- a rally and march for Saskatchewan Hospital on Sunday, October 4th in North Battleford.
 
We have known about the need for a new mental health hospital here in the Battlefords for decades, and nothing has been done. One of the largest reasons for that is because this is a mental health hospital- and mental health is something that continually gets ignored by policy makers in our province.
 

The problem with mental health is has a stigma caused by a lack of proper education.   This stigma creates silence, and the silence worsens the stigma, which in turn breeds more silence. This is a vicious circle and the result is that policy makers ignore the issue and have allowed this important hospital to become neglected for far too long.
 
Today is about breaking that silence and making some noise. This is not an issue for the Battlefords- this is an issue for the entire province. This hospital was built during a time when there was not a lot of money. The province was still very young- we didn’t even have an income tax back then- but it was such a priority that the province built it. In fact, the provision of care to men and women with mental illness was so important to the policy makers of the day that they built it and gave it the highest honour they could by naming it after the province- The Saskatchewan Hospital.
 
That tells you a little something about the values that people held back then.
 
Fast forward to today. This hospital is in sore need of replacement, and happens to be located in a constituency not currently held by the Government. During a time when they are spending unprecedented amounts of money on infrastructure they are ignoring the need for a new provincial hospital. They are talking about a domed stadium in Regina, and they can’t make this happen? They can’t make this a priority?
 
That tells you a little something about the values that policy makers hold today.
 
I am here today to deliver two messages. First, as a member of this community I am very proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with all of you as we rally and march toward the Saskatchewan Hospital.
 
Second, as Party Leader I can tell you that every single Liberal across the province is behind our effort here today. Furthermore, our Party will be developing a full mental health strategy for Saskatchewan, starting with a new mental health hospital here in the Battlefords. This is an issue that has been ignored for far too long, and something must be done. 
 
We have a moral responsibility to care for those who need it, and a moral responsibility to ensure that every individual in Saskatchewan can live with dignity. This is something that we need to work toward together. We need the entire community behind us, and we need the entire province behind us.